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515
January 10, 2014

Good Guys

Yes fellas, lots of you think of yourselves as good guys. But what does it really take to be a good guy? We have stories of valiant men attempting to do good in challenging circumstances: in war zones, department stores, public buses, and at the bottom of a cave 900 feet underground.

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hajagosb

Prologue

Producer Ben Calhoun tells Ira about a secret move his friend uses all the time — the "good guy discount" — that gets Ben's friend money off all sorts of items when he's shopping. (6 minutes)

By

Ben Calhoun
Act One

Takes One To Know One

Ben tries the good guy discount, to see if he can pull it off, as Ira tags along. (7 minutes)

By

Ben Calhoun
Act Two

The Heels On The Bus

Mike Birbiglia has this story about a time his good guy-ness was called into question. (7 minutes)

By

Mike Birbiglia
Act Three

No Man Left Behind

Julia DeWitt tells the story of someone who goes to incredible lengths to do a favor for another guy, even though the guy won't ever be able to know about it. Julia's story originally aired on Snap Judgment. (16 minutes)

By

Julia DeWitt
Act Four

The Deepest Darkest Open Secret

In 2009, a U.S. soldier contacted our show and offered to send audio dispatches from his deployment in Afghanistan, to do a story about what it's really like to go to war. But what he learned when he was over there was way more personal and honest than we, or he, expected. Producer Sarah Koenig explains. Note: Ira warns listeners that this story may not be appropriate for children. (20 minutes)

Song:

“Good Guys and Bad Guys” by Camper Van Beethoven

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This American Life is produced in collaboration with WBEZ Chicago and delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange.

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